New York City Rare Bird Alert

Below is the New York City Rare Bird Alert for the week ending Friday, April 10, 2015

- RBA
* New York
* New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
* Apr. 10, 2015
* NYNY1504.10

- Birds mentioned

CRESTED CARACARA+ (Orange County)
(+ Details requested by NYSARC)

HARLEQUIN DUCK
Red-necked Grebe
Snowy Egret
Glossy Ibis
Black Vulture
NORTHERN GOSHAWK
Broad-winged Hawk
Lesser Yellowlegs
ICELAND GULL
Lesser Black-backed Gull
GLAUCOUS GULL
SNOWY OWL
Chimney Swift
Pileated Woodpecker
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Bank Swallow
Cliff Swallow
House Wren
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Wood Thrush
YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER
Pine Warbler
Palm Warbler
Black-and-white Warbler
Louisiana Waterthrush
Eastern Towhee
Boat-tailed Grackle

- Transcript

If followed by (+) please submit documentation of your report electronically and use the NYSARC online submission form found at http://www.nybirds.org/NYSARC/...

You can also send reports and digital image files via email to nysarc44(at)nybirds{dot}org.

If electronic submission is not possible, hardcopy reports and photos or sketches are welcome. Hardcopy documentation should be mailed to:

Gary Chapin - Secretary
NYS Avian Records Committee (NYSARC)
125 Pine Springs Drive
Ticonderoga, NY 12883

Hotline: New York City Area Rare Bird Alert
Number: (212) 979-3070

To report sightings call:
Tom Burke (212) 372-1483 (weekdays, during the day)
Tony Lauro at (631) 734-4126 (Long Island)

Compiler: Tom Burke, Tony Lauro
Coverage: New York City, Long Island, Westchester County

Transcriber: Ben Cacace

BEGIN TAPE

Greetings. This is the New York Rare Bird Alert for Friday, April 10th 2015 at 7pm. The highlights of today's tape are an Orange County CRESTED CARACARA, SNOWY OWL, NORTHERN GOSHAWK, HARLEQUIN DUCK, GLAUCOUS GULL, ICELAND GULL and YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER plus other Spring migrants.

This morning a CRESTED CARACARA was found in Montgomery, Orange County. The bird was seen on the west side of River Road about a mile north of Route 17K frequenting the field near two ponds. Issues to be addressed of course would be the bird's provenance and whether it is a northern or southern Caracara. The northern would presumably be the expected species. The bird did disappear later in the day.

Otherwise with the Spring season somewhat delayed the March doldrums have been pushed back into April but once the weather breaks for good migrants should begin streaming rather than trickling in.

Most of the rarities have a Winter flavor including SNOWY OWL Monday to Wednesday in the marshes off Dune Road west of Shinnecock Inlet near Tiana Beach. Fortunately this owl seems to be staying far enough out to discourage pursuit. The immature NORTHERN GOSHAWK was reported again at Jones Beach West End on Thursday and a pair of HARLEQUIN DUCKS continue around Point Lookout seen Thursday off Lido Beach. In Brooklyn both GLAUCOUS and ICELAND GULLS continue to be seen around Gravesend Bay including near the Caesar's Bay shopping mall. Other single GLAUCOUS GULLS were noted at Shinnecock Inlet Monday and Orient Point Thursday. A LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL was at Jones Beach field 6 Thursday and a few RED-NECKED GREBES also remain along the Brooklyn and Staten Island shoreline.

Two somewhat out of place species were a female BOAT-TAILED GRACKLE spotted on the east side of the landfill at Croton Point Park last Sunday and single PILEATED WOODPECKERS in a Bethpage yard last Sunday and at the Cemetery of the Resurrection on Staten Island at least through Thursday.

Two BLACK VULTURES spotted over Central Park Monday afternoon were subsequently seen continuing north over Inwood Hill Park.

Among the landbirds certainly the YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER at Valley Stream State Park was the most unusual this bird found March 30th still frequenting the same area at least to Wednesday at the south end of the park and sometimes just across Hendrickson Avenue. Another YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER was back at Connetquot River State Park in Oakdale as of Tuesday. Please keep any disturbance of the nesting Connetquot birds to an absolute minimum.

A few new arrivals and an increasing number of those appearing a little earlier. Besides the PINE and PALM WARBLERS and LOUISIANA WATERTHRUSHES scattered about a BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLER appeared in Prospect Park Sunday. Other reported passerines have included BANK, NORTHERN ROUGH-WINGED and CLIFF SWALLOWS, HOUSE WREN, WOOD THRUSH, some BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHERS as of Monday, EASTERN TOWHEE and various sparrows.

Among the arriving non-passerines have been SNOWY EGRET, GLOSSY IBIS, LESSER YELLOWLEGS, BROAD-WINGED HAWK and CHIMNEY SWIFT.

To phone in reports on Long Island, call Tony Lauro at (631) 734-4126 or during the day except Sunday call Tom Burke at (212) 372-1483.

This service is sponsored by the Linnaean Society of New York and the National Audubon Society. Thank you for calling.

- End transcript